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ILLINOIS • Six residents in the Champaign area have been diagnosed with an outbreak of legionellosis that may be related to a religious marriage.
Residents have all been diagnosed since September 15th. One of the possible sources of investigation is the first Christian church in Champaign, where sick people were involved in wedding activities, according to state health officials.
Legionnaires' disease is not contagious, it is linked to a bacterium that spreads in the water and can cause inhalation illness through fountains, cooling towers, showers and other aerosol sources.
There are about 300 cases of the disease in Illinois each year. There have been 115 cases in Missouri this year, which is close to the annual average.
The Illinois Veterans Home in Quincy is plagued by legionnaires' epidemics that have killed 14 people and have made 70 others ill since 2015.
Q: What is legionnaire's disease?
A: Disease is a form of pneumonia, which is the generic name for any type of lung infection. It is caused by Legionella bacteria. The disease was discovered for the first time in 1976 when many participants at a US Legion convention in a Philadelphia hotel became ill.
Most people exposed to the bacteria do not become seriously ill. The disease has a mortality rate of 10 to 20%, especially in vulnerable populations, including people over 50, smokers and people with compromised immune systems. For reasons that are not clear, men are more likely than women.
Q: Where is Legionella found?
A: Bacteria live in hot ponds and streams, air conditioning systems, hot water tanks, fountains, hot tubs, condensers and common cooling towers in high-rise buildings of the East Coast. Bacteria also move freely in municipal water systems.
The process by which bacteria spread in a building and start to cause disease is still mainly a mystery to disease experts. Epidemics usually occur in hospitals, hotels and cruise ships.
A: Bacteria spread in the air, but not from one person to the other. A person is infected by the inhalation of bacteria through the mists or vapors of air conditioning systems, hot tubs or water heaters. The disease is not contracted by drinking contaminated water. During the Philadelphia epidemic, some residents who passed in front of the congress hotel also became ill.
Q: What constitutes an outbreak?
A: Only one case of legionnaires is usually not studied because it is so difficult to locate a source. Two cases in the same area at about the same time are considered an epidemic. Disease investigators are trying to find common environmental exposures around people who have become ill.
Q: How is an epidemic controlled?
A: The water sources of bacteria can be treated with chlorine or heated at high temperatures to kill bacteria. At the veterans' home in Quincy, officials disinfected air conditioners, fountains and hot water tanks. The size of the facility, which includes 48 buildings on 200 acres, complicated the task.
Q: What is the frequency of legionnaires' disease?
A: The CDC estimates that 8,000 to 18,000 people are hospitalized each year in the United States with the disease. Many thousands of people are probably infected but have only mild symptoms and are never diagnosed. Outbreaks are more common in late summer and early fall.
Q: What are the symptoms of Legionnaires' disease?
A: The illness usually starts as a flu. Patients report high fever, muscle aches, chills and headaches. They may develop coughing, shortness of breath and chest pain.
Q: How is the disease diagnosed?
A: A chest x-ray can confirm pneumonia and a rapid urine test detects Legionella bacteria. Doctors are trained to look for legionaries in vulnerable populations.
Q: Can we prevent legionnaires' disease?
A: Regular maintenance of the water and cooling systems is helpful. Spas should be monitored regularly and treated with chlorine to prevent the growth of bacteria. Since the disease is usually transmitted through artificial cooling systems and piping, the decontamination process can be tricky. Hoses and tanks should be cleaned and disinfected.
There is no vaccine against legionellosis.
Q: How is the disease treated?
A: Standard antibiotics can successfully treat most cases of legionellosis.
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